HORN EXCERPT Passages for Auditions F 2021
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FREDONIA Ensemble Auditions for Horns, 8/21/21 1 HORN EXCERPT Passages for Large Ensemble Auditions Fall 2021 Saturday 8/21/21 at 9:30AM in King Concert Hall at SUNY Fredonia Greetings to all Fredonia horn students, those who are returning and those who are just getting ready to dive into the Fredonia experience. One of the events that happens just before the beginning of every semester is an audition for seating in the large ensembles. With this mailing I’m providing all the passages will we select from for the audition . . . no solos, no scales, just these excerpts. Whether you are encountering these passages for the very first time or whether you have already studied or performed them, even, realize that they are taken from standard orchestral and wind ensemble literature, and know that some of them are the passages that have been used to measure the ability of horn players for generations. We’ll choose four or five of them for you to perform at the audition. Sometimes I don’t know exactly which ones until the conductors and I are gathered at the audition, and sometimes I know in advance. When I know, I’ll let you know. Don’t leave any of these passages untouched . . . be ready to play all of them. Study them so thoroughly that you know the styles and tempos and do not need a prompt from me at the audition. Please note that most of the passages are for horn in F, and that there are also passages that need to be transposed in order to play the correct notes. The Mendelssohn Nocturne is in E horn: play every note in this passage one half step lower. The Schubert passage is horn in C: this means that every note is to be transposed down a perfect 4 th . You must come to grips with the transpositions before attempting to play those passages, so study them out first . . . there is no other way. You don’t want to play the wrong notes! Get help if you need it. All these pieces are worth listening to, and you can go right to the particular movement and be waiting for the passage to show up. I’ve taken the orchestral literature from the excerpts tab at hornsociety.org. This is a cool place to check out – not only is it the website of the International Horn Society (you should join) but there are recording snippets of each of the excerpts played by a handful of
Transcript of HORN EXCERPT Passages for Auditions F 2021
FREDONIA Ensemble Auditions for Horns, 8/21/21
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HORN EXCERPT Passages for Large Ensemble Auditions Fall 2021
Saturday 8/21/21 at 9:30AM in King Concert Hall at SUNY Fredonia
Greetings to all Fredonia horn students, those who are returning and those who
are just getting ready to dive into the Fredonia experience. One of the events that happens just before the beginning of every semester is an audition for seating in
the large ensembles. With this mailing I’m providing all the passages will we select from for the audition . . . no solos, no scales, just these excerpts. Whether you are encountering these passages for the very first time or whether you have already
studied or performed them, even, realize that they are taken from standard orchestral and wind ensemble literature, and know that some of them are the
passages that have been used to measure the ability of horn players for generations.
We’ll choose four or five of them for you to perform at the audition. Sometimes I
don’t know exactly which ones until the conductors and I are gathered at the audition, and sometimes I know in advance. When I know, I’ll let you know. Don’t
leave any of these passages untouched . . . be ready to play all of them. Study them so thoroughly that you know the styles and tempos and do not need a
prompt from me at the audition.
Please note that most of the passages are for horn in F, and that there are also passages that need to be transposed in order to play the correct notes. The
Mendelssohn Nocturne is in E horn: play every note in this passage one half step lower. The Schubert passage is horn in C: this means that every note is to be
transposed down a perfect 4th. You must come to grips with the transpositions before attempting to play those passages, so study them out first . . . there is no
other way. You don’t want to play the wrong notes! Get help if you need it.
All these pieces are worth listening to, and you can go right to the particular movement and be waiting for the passage to show up. I’ve taken the orchestral literature from the excerpts tab at hornsociety.org. This is a cool place to check
out – not only is it the website of the International Horn Society (you should join) but there are recording snippets of each of the excerpts played by a handful of
FREDONIA Ensemble Auditions for Horns, 8/21/21
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great orchestras and well-known players. You can measure yourself against the pros: use their excellent tempos and play in the styles they use.
Notes about the passages: Listen to each one. Know it thoroughly.
• Mendelssohn – smooth and shapely is your goal. Rock-solid steady in terms of pulse and tempo. Don’t be intimidated by the piano marking; rather, be
full without being intense.
• Schubert – clean articulation that draws no attention to itself is your goal. Connect every note to the next one. A modest dynamic. Try to play all 8
bars in one breath; if you must, you can breathe after measure 6.
• Bernstein – Don’t be fooled by the strong dynamic: rhythm and style are much more important than blistering volume. Somewhere – be liquid smooth; enjoy the lovely contour of this solo; take us on the journey.
• Shostakovich – conductors and horn players use this to measure low register ability. It’s not only about volume, though. We are all wanting low registers that are compact in tone, in tune, and that speak from the horn
cleanly without wobbling. Only play as loudly as those other considerations will permit.
• Grainger – this is all about neat & clean articulation and perfect rhythm. Use your metronome for this one, just as you are for all of these passages.
• Maslanka – Maslanka’s horn parts are full of challenges. When it looks easy that means that you must be subdividing deeply. When it is challenging you need to be committing time to slow practice and detailed problem solving. Every note counts. Here is a link to one of the recordings of this piece in the
Naxos Music Library, one of the excellent databases available to you through Fredonia’s Reed Library: https://fredonia-naxosmusiclibrary-
com.dbsearch.fredonia.edu:2443/catalogue/item.asp?cid=WCD-30117.
If you have questions or want to talk about anything, write to me at
[email protected] or call/text me: 716-679-5436. I’d welcome the opportunity to communicate with you…maybe even hear some playing. One of the few blessings of the pandemic is knowing that we can truly come together without sharing the same physical space. That said, I take comfort that we are only weeks away from
being able to share the same space! See you soon. Let’s communicate. --- MG, 7/3/21
FREDONIA Ensemble Auditions for Horns, 8/21/21
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Schubert – Symphony No. 9, D. 944, "Great"
FREDONIA Ensemble Auditions for Horns, 8/21/21
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Bernstein, West Side Story Measures 179 to 203. Quarter note = 112 bpm Horn in F
Bernstein, West Side Story: Measures 286 through 294
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Percy Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy Horn IV in F
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Maslanka, Symphony No. 4 opening solo – measures 1 – 29 Horn in F
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Maslanka, Symphony No. 4: measures 569-578 Horn in F
